“The collection of various items including Monroe’s dresses, shoes, photographs and diaries was assembled by curators at the Salvatore Ferragamo museum in Florence, Italy last year to mark the 50th anniversary of Monroe’s death.”

The late May exhibit was planned for Prague Castle, and Alice Titzova of the PR agency 2media explains that late Monday, a large number of Marilyn Monroe photos stolen alongside mannequins and other memorabilia were discovered to be missing from their storage location in transport.

The Chicago Tribunereports that the Ferragamo museum involvement was due to the fact that the entertainment icon favored the designer in her lifetime, and adds:

“Curator Jan Trestik said a truck carrying mannequins and photographs was raided in an apparently coordinated attack in the central Czech Republic on trucks carrying luxury goods from Italy.

“David Sebek, spokesman for Prague Castle, which is due to host the show, said most of the exhibits, including her dresses, had already arrived intact.”

Police in Prague acknowledge that the Marilyn Monroe photos were stolen but declined to elaborate on the status of the investigation.

After Prague, the exhibit honoring Monroe’s life and work was set to move on to Tokyo, and the fate of the event remained unclear.

Police did not disclose the value of the Marilyn Monroe photos stolen ahead of the Prague exhibit.